Two more people poisoned by deadly nerve agent Novichok

A British man and woman were poisoned by the same nerve agent, Novichok, as the Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal.

2018/07/06

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SALISBURY, UK — Two more people have become victims of the Russian nerve agent that affected a former Russian spy and his daughter, reports the BBC.

Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess were found unconscious in Salisbury in southwest England where they were poisoned by the same nerve agent, Novichok, as the Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal.

Rowley and Sturgess were in Salisbury were taken to the hospital when Sturgess collapsed and was found "foaming at the mouth" and Rowley fell ill and was found with eyes "wide open" and he was "sweating … and making weird noises," reports the BBC.

According to the BBC, Novichok nerve agent is five to eight times more toxic than the VX nerve agent.

Novichok nerve agents may exist as liquids, in solid form or as an ultra-fine powder.

Novichok works by inhibiting an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase, which is involved in muscle movement, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Motor neurons release a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which signals muscles to contract.